Josh McRoberts is gone, too. Also, Jarrett Jack gone. Oh, and Pritchard traded for Ike Diogu. Pritchard also netted Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless, the No.11 pick. And the Blazers also end up with Nicolas Batum of France, which amounts to a clever use of a Euroleague roster pawn. Also, Portland got four future second-round picks.

Before Thursday, maybe you believed the Blazers needed a small forward and a point guard. Today, what they need is roll call.

If you're a Blazers fan you have to love all the good action, and the drama, and the fact that the front office of your basketball franchise is playing to win. And as long as Pritchard has the confidence of owner Paul Allen, and the autonomy to work deals, draft day is always going to be more fun in Portland than it is in Chicago, Los Angeles or New York. Or probably anywhere else.

Don't take this for granted, Portland.

At Madison Square Garden, Knicks fans wait in line for hours for the opportunity to wait for the home team to make its first pick, then the same fans instinctively cup their hands around their mouth and boo.

No matter the pick. No matter the result. No matter what.

The New Yorkers knock off work, grab a beer, hit the arena, then they just suck all the air they can into their lungs and boo. In Portland, understand, you never really get that inkling because you're never really sure that the player Pritchard selected is going to wear a red-and-black cap for more than a few minutes.

Maybe it feels like the Blazers are making moves to make moves, but there's something charming and electric about watching a hungry franchise try to outthink everyone, and work hard to make itself better one day every summer.

By the way, anyone else think Rush looked ill when he was informed he would not be playing alongside Greg Oden and living in the Pearl District, but rather, be playing alongside Rasho Nesterovic and living in Indiana?

You have to feel some empathy for the snoozing fans of other franchises. The teams with those smiling NBA executives who drafted a single player in the first round and then actually decided to stick with the player they picked.

Bor-ING.

What Pritchard and his staff did Thursday was nothing short of brilliant. They trimmed Jack and McRoberts from a swollen roster, and maneuvered for Batum, whom they can stash in Europe and never have to pay. And the Blazers added Bayless, who is a nice fit to play alongside Brandon Roy in the backcourt.

Portland got better on Thursday. And it gave up nothing of real value doing so. Also, the Blazers held onto Raef LaFrentz, whose fat, beautiful, expiring contract will look more and more like a supermodel to the rest of the league's executives as February's trade deadline approaches.

Sure, there were confusing moments. There always will be with Pritchard in charge. And nobody seemed sure, for a while, if Portland wasn't just serving as a weigh station for Jayhawks, but it was fun, wasn't it? Blazers fans watched another June trade flurry and because of his record, they said, "In KP, we trust."

A little clarity?

You bet.

If you're reading between the moves, understand that Portland believes that it doesn't need a true point guard to play alongside Roy. He's handling the ball at important times anyway, and so Roy becomes the team's de facto point guard.

Also, understand, that the Blazers have a sky-high opinion of Travis Outlaw. They didn't make a single move toward a player who could play his position, even with James Jones opting out of his player option earlier Thursday. Outlaw isn't just going to start the season as the small forward; he'll do it with a huge vote of confidence from management. It's his job to lose. And you'd better believe that Outlaw knows that Pritchard believes in him today.